A month after a failed rebellion against the Kremlin, the Wagner Group, a private military company, has returned to Africa.
Primarily focused in the Sahel region, the group is amid a contest of influence between Russia, the U.S., and France over the control of natural resources.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the group, confirmed to local media that his mercenaries have arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) to provide security during the constitutional referendum.
Despite Moscow’s condemnation of the military coup in Niger, it was noticeable that some of the coup supporters were waving Russian flags and cheering for the Wagner Group.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum championed democracy, and his overthrow would cause Niger to lose hundreds of millions in security assistance and development aid.
Interestingly, a delegation from Niger was missing from the Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg, the hometown of Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Russian media, Prigozhin met with representatives from Niger, the CAR, and Mali during the summit, although the identity of the representatives remains undisclosed.
Prigozhin publicly supported the military coup in Niger, saying that it represented the struggle of the Nigerien people against colonization.
He added that, thanks to the coup, Nigeriens are finally breaking free from their chains and the attempts of Western powers to impose their way of life.
The Russian-Africa summit underscored Russia’s intent to continue bolstering African nations’ sovereignty and military power against the threat of terrorism.
Putin met with several African leaders, expressing his support for strengthening their Armed Forces.
Prigozhin concluded by emphasizing that Africa could not exist without Russian security assistance.